Sep 13 @ Seattle

[illinoisredsox]

Red Sox batters struck out 15 times tonight and have fanned 28 times in the last 2 games, 43 in the last 3 and 54 in the last 4. Edited September 14, 2021 by illinoisredsox

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Losing on the west coast is not unusual for the SOX.

[a700hitter]

Brasier is no answer for our bullpen.

[Oscars]

The Sox are now 4th in the AL East, and behind the Jays and Yankees in the wild card race.

They have been unable to win a series against a team over .500 since the all star break, and now those losses have seen them slide outside the top 2 in the wild card.

[moonslav59]

The season is far from over, but the way we keep losing really sucks.

[oldtimer]

The season is far from over, but the way we keep losing really sucks.

 

Errors are difficult to overcome. This time using Schwaber at 1st base was the cause. A different one every night.

[Bellhorn04]

Cora erred in starting schwarber, who was in a slump before tonight and Dalbec has the hotter bat and has played well at 1b recently.

 

I'm afraid Bloom assembled a team, including the addition of Schwarber, in which the pieces just don't fit together.

[redsoxrules]

Don't worry folks. The schedule looks great after this series. No need to beat these above 500 teams.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I'm afraid Bloom assembled a team, including the addition of Schwarber, in which the pieces just don't fit together.

 

When good hitters go into slumps, it's a normal part of a long season. Most snap out of it, unless an injury is holding them back.

 

But bad fielders are just who they are.

[Bellhorn04]

When good hitters go into slumps, it's a normal part of a long season. Most snap out of it, unless an injury is holding them back.

 

But bad fielders are just who they are.

 

Right, but Schwarber is not a first baseman. That piece don't fit.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Right, but Schwarber is not a first baseman. That piece don't fit.

 

And JD doesn't fit in left, nor does Verdugo in center or Kike at second... and Renfroe, despite his arm, leads all big league outfielders in errors. Ten Es in rightfield is the most in the AL in 15 years. Devers -- as much as we love his bat -- has led the majors in errors at third base each of the past four seasons.

At least Dalbec looks like he's improving at first base.

[Bellhorn04]

And JD doesn't fit in left, nor does Verdugo in center or Kike at second... and Renfroe, despite his arm, leads all big league outfielders in errors. Ten Es in rightfield is the most in the AL in 15 years. Devers -- as much as we love his bat -- has led the majors in errors at third base each of the past four seasons.

At least Dalbec looks like he's improving at first base.

 

Bloom took a bad defensive team and made it worse with Schwarber.

[a700hitter]

I'm afraid Bloom assembled a team, including the addition of Schwarber, in which the pieces just don't fit together.

5 DHs and 2 starting pitchers is not a team built to compete.

[d-money]

This team is doomed. They just can’t beat anybody right now.

[TylerD]

That’s a disappointing score to wake up to.

[mvp 78]

Bloom took a bad defensive team and made it worse with Schwarber.

 

The new market inefficiency is guys with horrible gloves.

[Old Red]

Errors are difficult to overcome. This time using Schwaber at 1st base was the cause. A different one every night.

 

Bobby D has been hot the past month, and shouldn’t set for Schwaber, if any sets if he has to play it should be the DH.

[moonslav59]

I'm afraid Bloom assembled a team, including the addition of Schwarber, in which the pieces just don't fit together.

 

Dalbec, who has been fielding as bad as anyone could, had the nerve to start hitting.

[Maxbialystock]

Dalbec, who has been fielding as bad as anyone could, had the nerve to start hitting.

 

I respectfully disagree. For big chunks of this season, granted, Dalbec has looked awful at 1b. However, he has been a third baseman and should have been able to pick up this new position. I think that has finally happened and that he is better defensively than other options like Schwarber, Arroyo, etc.

 

Meanwhile, including this game, Schwarber is 0 for his last 16 at bats with 9 K's. His September OPS (for 12 games) is .606.

[Maxbialystock]

Errors are difficult to overcome. This time using Schwaber at 1st base was the cause. A different one every night.

 

Renfroe's error also cost an unearned run. Last night only 1 Seattle run was earned.

[iortiz]

Renfroe's error also cost an unearned run. Last night only 1 Seattle run was earned.

 

It's becoming epic.

[iortiz]

Regarding Defense,

 

I'd rather have Iglesias at SS and Xander at 2nd, but can Xander play 2nd?

[moonslav59]

I respectfully disagree. For big chunks of this season, granted, Dalbec has looked awful at 1b. However, he has been a third baseman and should have been able to pick up this new position. I think that has finally happened and that he is better defensively than other options like Schwarber, Arroyo, etc.

 

Meanwhile, including this game, Schwarber is 0 for his last 16 at bats with 9 K's. His September OPS (for 12 games) is .606.

 

I was explaining why Schwarber seemed like he fit, when we added him.

 

At the time, Dalbec sucked on offense and defense.

 

The thought was, "How much worse can Schwarber be on defense than we've seen at 1B all year and especially in July?"

 

He was clearly an upgrade on offense.

 

Then, on the exact day of the trade deadline, Dalbec morphed into the best hitter in MLB and improved his defense 10 fold.

 

Don't forget, Dalbec was losing us games with his defense before we got Schwarber.

 

As it turned out, had we known Dalbec was going to morph, we'd have seen Schwarber was just duplicated value at DH.

 

[moonslav59]

Regarding Defense,

 

I'd rather have Iglesias at SS and Xander at 2nd, but can Xander play 2nd?

 

Not now, as in 2021, and Iggy's D is not what it used to be, if you are thinking 2022.

[moonslav59]

What's so crappy about our D, is the non plays and non error errors outnumber the official errors.

 

YES, that's how bad our D is!

[TylerD]

What's so crappy about our D, is the non plays and non error errors outnumber the official errors.

 

YES, that's how bad our D is!

 

Yup, not helping us out at all...... We are now officially tied for a playoff spot with the yankees. This feels bad man.

[moonslav59]

Yup, not helping us out at all...... We are now officially tied for a playoff spot with the yankees. This feels bad man.

 

I know people make light of the fact that we have an easier schedule after this road trip, but what that actually means is that we have already played a harder schedule than TOR & NYY up to this point, so being tied is not a sign we are worse than them.

 

Of course, the way the Rays look now, they are better, but we said that about the Yanks a few weeks ago, and then what?

[redsoxrules]

Enough of this schedule thing. That means Jack s*** when you're hot. If you haven't noticed the Jay's swept back to back teams who are playoff contenders. Meanwhile we're lucky to win A game vs a contender.

The Sox need to win PERIOD regardless who they play. The Jay's play the twins 6 more times and the O's 3 more time. So their schedule will be about the same as the Sox. Yankees also have their next 9 games against s*** teams. They need to win now or else they might find themselves 3 games back in the L column before they face the Os this weekend. If that happens they need to go about 11-3 for the remaining 14 games to even have a chance and even that might not be enough

[redsoxrules]

You don't rely on other teams to lose games. That lost to Tampa last week still stings for this team. Same could be said for the last 2 games as those were very winnable games. Those type of games need to be won if you want to make the playoffs

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Enough of this schedule thing. That means Jack s*** when you're hot.

 

... or cold... or just bad. It doesn't matter who you're playing if you don't play major league defense.

 

A case could be made that an opponent with a losing record would be easier to beat since they probably have as many or more deficiencies... then again, they're all big league players. Question is: which side will be playing relaxed, with the notion of spoiler, and which roster -- depleted by health protocols and dulled by quarantined inaction -- will be playing under the pressures of stretch-run survival?